For
the “Taylor” branch of my tree, Judy assisted me and my cousin, Patricia
Bayonne-Johnson. Judy provided many
clues that helped us get past the infamous “1870 brick wall” that so many African Americans face. Personally,
whether she knows it or not, Judy is an incredible mentor to me and I admire
her and her work very much!

In
2005, she found mortgage & probate records and a bill of sale for my 4th
great grandparents, Nelson Taylor & Lytha (Lethia) Briant Taylor and their
5 children dating back to 1831 in West Feliciana Parish.

In
July of 2012, Judy busted through another brick wall by the finding property
records for Gilbert Diagre, a Louisiana Planter in East Baton Rouge Parish that
owned my 3th great-grandmother, Artimease Harris and my 2th
great-grandfather, her son, Emanuel Willis, Sr., on what was known as Mulberry Grove
Plantation. She also discovered they were purchased from neighboring Chatsworth Plantation owned by Fergus Duplantier. Thanks to Judy, I now have to return to the LSU's Special Collections where records on Chatsworth are currently being translated!

The
last time I went to the Louisiana State Archives (July of 2013), I ran into her by chance and she devoted the last two hours of her time to navigating me
in the right direction for my areas of interest. She helped me find my 4th
great-grandmother, Julia Lee, and her children in the 1859 Succession Record of
Sarah Rucker Haile in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana.

Judy
is truly amazing and I’m sure I can speak for Patricia and my other family
members when I say that she is truly a Godsend!

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My Cousin's Blog: AFRICAN ROOTS - by Patricia Bayonne-Johnson

About Me

As a native Northern Californian, my journey in genealogy began at the age of 8 when I memorized 7 generations of my maternal line as told to me by my grandmother. I started actively researching my family in 1991 at the age of 19. My maternal line originates from New Orleans, La., Natchez, Mississippi, Virginia, Beaumont & Houston, TX. My paternal line originates from East Baton Rouge & West Feliciana Parishes in Louisiana, Virginia & Maryland. I'm a member of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC) & Le Comité des Archives de la Louisiane, a non-profit genealogical support group for the Louisiana State Archives.